The Way to Their Hearts
by DeenaTweety
Summary: Breakfast and a healthy dose of denial. It was bound to happen, but burnt dumplings jump-started it all. LeeTen!


4:30 in the morning. Tenten had forgotten how grueling it had been to wake up this early when she had still been a genin training under Gai.

She decided that she was the best teammate ever. Waking up at dark-thirty in the morning to make Lee breakfast just _had_ to give her good karma. She flipped a dumpling in the pan just as it was starting to burn. "Weren't you going to be making _me_ breakfast this morning?" she joked.

"I'm so sorry, Tenten-chan! I was too focused on these new weights that Gai-sensei gave me," Lee said from the living room. Tenten turned back to the pan and sighed. This was why she had to come over every day and cook, as bad a chef she was. If she didn't make him eat in the mornings, he would forget.

She continued moving the dumplings around in the pan and listened to him jump up and down in the kitchen, testing out his new toys. She was really starting to worry about him. He had always been zealous about training, and it really wasn't anything unusual for him to be excited about pushing himself. But lately, Lee was more single-minded about exercise than usual. She'd seen him overwork himself too many times throughout their relationship not to recognize the signs: he would train until he got hurt, land himself in the hospital, and then do it all over again unless someone stopped him.

It was a destructive cycle that she knew had to end, but she also knew that confronting Lee directly wouldn't help. So here she was in his kitchen, cooking breakfast, trying to think of sly ways to slow him down. It occurred to her that maybe she was being extreme by waking up so early to keep an eye on him. Then again, Rock Lee was an extreme person.

Lee heard Tenten sigh and stopped running in place. Her back was to him now, and she was stirring the dumplings with sagged shoulders. He felt a sudden guilt in the pit of his stomach. She'd made it a habit to come to his apartment at least every other day and make him breakfast, so last night he'd offered to make something for her in return… but then he got his new weights and forgot all about it.

He studied his former teammate more closely. Her hair wasn't tied in the usual buns this morning, but in one messy braid going down her back. He happened to know from several camping trips with her and Team Gai that this was how she fashioned it to sleep at night. It was a style that few people ever got to see, only early in the mornings before she had a chance to style it. She was wearing his green apron and flipping, (rather, fighting) the dumplings sizzling in the pan. The whole scene was so… so domestic.

_Tenten looks really pretty._ He felt his face flare up at the thought.

"Lee, I think the dumplings are done," she mumbled as she fished them out of the pan with a fork. She couldn't scoop them, so she finally gave up and stuck one right in the middle. She sighed in exasperation when she realized that she'd forgotten a plate to put them on. "Oh, for the love of… Oh, thanks," she said when Lee handed her a plate in the nick of time.

"Thank _you_," Lee said, plopping one of the slightly burnt dumplings hot in his mouth. "It's delicious as always, Tenten-chan! Your cooking gets better and better every day!" And it was true—it was slightly less burnt than yesterday's fried rice.

Tenten rolled her eyes and grinned. "You're just saying that. Now eat up!"

"Alright, but I'll have to make it quick! I have three-hundred laps to run this morning!" She frowned and watched him wolf down his breakfast. Well, at least she could always count on him to eat her burnt food.

That night when she came home she found a basket of pastries from her favorite shop on her doorstep, with a ribbon and a piece of paper attached.

_From Lee!_

She smiled and went inside.

* * *

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!"

It was a good thing looks couldn't kill, because Lee would have burst into flames and burned to ashes.

It was 4:30 in the morning again and Lee was standing in Tenten's kitchen with his green apron on and a spatula. She'd woken up thinking that there was an intruder in her house and nearly murdered Lee when she'd seen it was only him.

She sat on her couch, which was only a yard away from her tiny kitchen, and watched Lee as he whipped up a gourmet breakfast. Her mood improved when she finally ate; it was delicious. She really needed to step up her game if she was going to keep up with him.

"So, how many laps are you running today?" she asked, only half-joking.

"A least one-hundred," Lee said, completely serious.

"Are you sure that's… well, I guess I can't stop you," she said, changing her tactic mid-sentence. She knew she couldn't talk Lee out of his insane training regimen using logic. "I mean, your training is very important. But I was hoping… well, never mind."

Lee stopped eating and looked at her with raised eyebrows. "What is it, Tenten?"

"No, no, don't worry about it," she said, waving her hand. "It's just that… I haven't gotten to spend time with any of my friends lately, that's all." It wasn't a hundred percent true, but she was going to roll with it anyway.

He leaned toward her with concern. "Tenten, my friend, do you feel that I've been neglecting you?" She was surprised at his question and the sincerity with which he asked it. It caught her so off-guard that she was totally derailed from her "lonely friend" act and it made her actually think about the question. _Did_ she feel neglected?

In the short silence that followed his question he had grasped her hands with his and looked into her eyes with his big round ones. She jumped in surprise.

"Tenten, my youthful friend! I will spend the day with you and train later! I vow to never again let you feel neglected!" he shouted with gusto, making her tired ears hurt. Oh, what had she done, now?

* * *

When she really thought about it, Tenten actually liked the fact that she and Lee had breakfast every morning. It was nice to spend some time with an old teammate, especially when the two of them were so busy that they rarely got to see each other during the day. It had become a routine. Every morning Tenten would wake up, either to see Lee in her kitchen or to travel the short distance to his place to cook for him.

She was in the middle of getting ready to go to his place when she remembered that he was on a mission for the next three weeks.

She slumped back down onto her bed, an empty and lonely feeling settling on her like a heavy blanket. She looked around her cluttered room and it seemed so… desolate. She despaired.

After a few minutes of wondering why she felt so sad she got up anyway and folded a blanket up. She walked to Lee's place and used her spare key to get in. She settled into the soft worn cushions of his couch and dozed for the rest of the morning.

ooo

Lee had been gone on missions before, so Tenten didn't really know what the big deal was. If she was honest with herself, she missed him. She chalked it up to the fact that Neji wasn't around much to distract her.

She was at the Yaminaka flower shop with Ino. She had originally come to pay her friend a visit, but as usual, had been suckered into helping her clean. What had started as a completely mundane day had been flipped upside down with one seemingly innocent question.

"So, when's your boyfriend coming back?" Ino asked in the most casual of tones. At first Tenten didn't get it.

"What boyfriend?" she laughed. Ino just stared at her incredulously. "What?" It wasn't like she'd been hanging around with anyone new lately. What in the world was she talking about?

"That's weird. Because Shikamaru told me that he's seen you sneaking out of Lee's house every morning," she said, breaking out into a huge smile. "So fess up, you're caught! How did it finally happen?"

Tenten was caught completely off-guard, so she just repeated herself: "What?"

Ino's face fell. "Wait. So you're not dating Lee?"

"Oh no! Lee and I are _not_ dating," she replied with a laugh. That was ridiculous! What was Ino thinking?

Her blond friend didn't look convinced. "So what you're saying is that you and Rock Lee are _not_ in a romantic relationship."

"Exactly," she replied, rolling her eyes. "How many times do I need to say it?"

"So why are you at his apartment every day?"

"I cook for him before he trains," Tenten said, feeling like she had to explain herself. "If I don't make him eat, he'll forget and train instead."

"So what, you're cooking him breakfast and magically transporting it to wherever he is on his mission so he can eat? Is that what you're doing at his place every night while he's away?" Tenten felt her face burn red. There really was no way to explain why she'd been spending the night at his apartment without sounding like a creep. It was just so much more comfy than her own place. And he _had_ said that she was welcome to use her spare key anytime…

"So what, did you move in with him? Come on, Tenten, everyone knows that you've been into each other since your genin days." Tenten scoffed.

"That's crazy, we have not! He's in love with Sakura, remember?" But that didn't seem right. When was the last time he'd even talked about the pinkette?

Ino laughed and she could see that she was thoroughly enjoying herself. "I don't think you have to worry about Sakura. She doesn't like him nearly as much as you do."

Tenten rolled her eyes. All of this was absurd. She was _not_ in love with Lee.

"I gotta go, I have a thing," she said, starting out the door. "I'll see you later, when you're not talking crazy!"

Ino put her hands on her hips and laughed. "I'll see you when you're not in denial!"

* * *

Lee was totally beat. The walk to his apartment from the village gates had almost been too much after such a tiring mission. He made his way inside and collapsed onto his couch, unable to make the long journey to his bed.

He woke up in the late morning to the smell of fresh dumplings. He opened his blurry eyes to see Tenten in the kitchen, throwing away take-out boxes and arranging food onto plates.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said cheerfully. "Welcome home from your mission. Here, I made you some lunch." Lee sat up as she placed a plate on his lap. He looked past her at the kitchen trash can, where the take-out boxes were sticking out. He couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" She asked, letting out a groan of frustration. She walked over to the trash can and shoved the take-out boxes out of sight. "Now eat!

* * *

Soon, it wasn't just breakfast time that they were spending together. Every night, they could be found together at his apartment, where Lee would try in vain to teach his former teammate how to cook.

She was lying on his couch late one evening after spending the day helping Shizune sort through paperwork. _No one ever said that being a ninja was non-stop action_, she thought wryly as she rubbed her temples. Her _brain_ felt tired. She could hear Lee in the kitchen humming some tune as he whipped some eggs. She closed her eyes, glad he was there to provide the white noise.

She let her mind wander to the green beast in the kitchen. He was around so much lately that it almost felt like they lived together. He _did_ have a nice apartment, after all. She opened her eyes to peer over at her former teammate.

He was wearing that ridiculous green apron (that made him look even greener, if it was possible) and his tongue was sticking out as he focused on whipping the eggs flawlessly.

She remembered Ino's words from a few weeks ago. Maybe she was tired, or sick, or crazy, but she allowed herself, for only a moment, to imagine what it would be like to… actually… _Date_ Rock Lee.

Well, she already knew he was a great cook. There was no doubt that he was one of the sweetest guys around. He was strong and determined and she liked people with those qualities. Actually, when she thought about it, he was probably one of the people she liked the most. He was her best friend.

And physically… Tenten felt her face get hot. She knew from training with him that he was built. He was also way taller than she was and she liked that in a guy. There had been a time that she thought of him as ugly… but now, she kind of liked his bowl haircut and his big round eyes. He was cute.

Another plus was that he was devoted. Her stomach dropped. _Devoted to Sakura_, she thought bitterly. Did he still like her?

Wait. Why did she even care? This was purely a mental exercise! She didn't actually like him, did she?

"… Tenten? Tenten?" Lee waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" He asked, face-to-face with her. He was so close that she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Yeah! Why?"

"You were staring," he said. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired," she said, rubbing her eyes to be extra convincing. "Sorry, Lee."

"No problem!" He gave her a thumbs-up. "Our food is ready!"

* * *

"… Please! Please!" Ino begged. "I just met him and I don't want to go by myself."

Tenten scoffed. "Why not? I know you've gone on dates before."

Ino grinned. "Well, we haven't actually _talked_," she said, flipping her long hair. "I'm just worried that we won't have anything in common, ya know? And besides, his friend is totally cute."

Tenten still wasn't interested. A double-date sounded like the least fun thing she could possibly do tonight. "Sorry, Ino, I'm sort of busy tonight," she said, trying not to sound as disinterested as she really was.

"Oh, would it kill you to spend time away from Lee?" Ino said, exasperated. "I guess I'll just invite someone else…"

"No, I'll go!" Tenten said quickly. She needed to prove that she wasn't in love with Lee. Maybe going on a date with someone else would convince Ino.

"Great! See you at seven!"

ooo

"I'm not going to be able to make it to dinner tonight," she said into the phone, feeling an inexplicable pit in her stomach.

"Oh no! Are you sick, Tenten? If you want I can bring over some soup. It's a home remedy, sure to restore your youth in no time—"

"No! I mean I'm not sick," Tenten said quickly. "I'm going to dinner with Ino." She didn't really want to tell him that she was basically blowing him off for a guy she'd never met, so she stuck with a half-truth.

"That's great! I hope you enjoy a wonderful ladies' night out!" His enthusiasm made her feel even worse about lying. "Tell Ino-san I said hello!"

"I will," she replied, trying to sound cheerful.

ooo

Lee wasn't quite sure what to do with himself now that Tenten wasn't coming over to eat. He'd gotten so accustomed to her coming over that he usually never had anything planned in the early mornings or evenings.

He plopped onto his couch and sighed. What could he do now?

Well, as Gai-sensei always said, boredom is an opportunity to be productive! He jumped up to search through his kitchen cabinets. Besides what he'd been planning to cook for Tenten, his cabinets were quite un-youthfully barren. He smiled. This could be fixed! He grabbed his wallet and headed out the door to the market.

ooo

Lee felt sick to his stomach. In the back of his mind, he knew he should be happy for his teammate, but the honest truth was that he wasn't.

He'd been at the market for a while when he'd spotted a flash of blond hair. It was Ino, across the street. He looked a little closer and saw Tenten, looking lovely in a blue dress that she rarely wore. He was about to go over to say hello, but he stopped when he noticed two men eating with them. He watched as the one next to Tenten slowly slipped his arm around her shoulders. Her blush could be seen all the way across the street at the market.

Was she… On a date? Was that her boyfriend? His stomach dropped and he felt confused. Why was it important? She'd had boyfriends before… right?

But he still felt ill. He paid for his groceries and headed home.

ooo

The date was over and Tenten and Ino still sat in the booth, finishing their drinks.

"So, what'd you think?" Ino asked, playing with the ice in the glass.

"They were nice enough," Tenten replied. In all honestly, she wished she'd just stuck to having dinner with Lee. It wasn't that her date wasn't nice, kind, or flattering… it was just that she didn't really feel like seeing him again.

"Not a lot of chemistry, was there?" the other girl said with a wry laugh. "I think I'm going to visit Choji. It's been a little couple days since I saw him." Tenten raised an eyebrow.

"Were you thinking about Choji during the whole date?" she asked with a crooked smile. What an interesting discovery.

Ino gave her a weak smile. "Tell Lee I said hi," she said before disappearing in a white puff of smoke. Tenten huffed. That girl always had to have the last word. But… she was right. She _had _been planning on paying Lee a visit before the night was over.

Something in her brain clicked. Maybe that was why it was so hard to be interested in anyone for a long time. Maybe… maybe she _did_ like Lee. Maybe Ino was right. She sighed and started over to his apartment. She needed to see him, for just a second, to be sure of what she felt.

ooo

Lee heard a knock on his door to see Tenten. He was surprised. _Her date must be over_, he thought as he let her in.

She was strangely silent, standing there in her blue dress. Her gaze was intense, studying his face and his eyes. "Sorry about dinner tonight," she said finally, not letting her eyes break away from his.

"It's alright," he said quietly. The air felt heavy and he couldn't figure out why. She finally looked away from him, but he couldn't stop looking at her, so sweet in her sundress. Pieces of her hair were falling out of her twin buns and framing a face that he'd just realized looked so delicate. He'd seen this woman in every situation possible—dry, wet, hair up, hair down, covered in dirt and blood—but now he felt like he was looking at a new person.

A really pretty person.

"Lee," she said, snapping him out of his thought. He jumped a little a cleared his throat.

"I saw you while I was at the market today," he said, regretting the words as soon as they left his mouth. Of all the things he could have said to her, he had to bring _that_ up.

"Oh yeah?" she asked, still not quite looking at him.

"Tenten-chan, was that… your boyfriend?" She finally looked up at him, a smile blossoming on her face. That was it, he thought—no one could give such a beautiful smile at the thought of her date and unless she was in love. His heart sank. "He looked nice," he continued. "Maybe someday I'll be able to meet him, and—Tenten?"

She was laughing now. "Lee, stop it! That was _not_ my boyfriend," she said, shaking her head.

"But—but he had his arm around you!" Lee protested, feeling silly.

"That doesn't mean he's my boyfriend. It doesn't even mean that I like him," she said, wrinkling her nose. She sighed and sat down on his couch in a most un-ladylike fashion. He sat down next to her. She looked at him and heaved a sigh. "I don't really have time for a boyfriend." Lee frowned. She sounded so strange when she said that.

"Why not?" he asked.

"'Cause I spend all my free time with you." He looked into her big brown eyes. She didn't sound too upset about spending time with him, which was a relief, but the idea that he was holding her back from getting a boyfriend made him feel terribly guilty.

"Tenten-chan, you don't have to…"

"I know," she said softly. "Lee…?"

"Yes?" He felt his heart fluttering. She was so close and speaking so softly and all he could think about was how grateful he was for having had her as a teammate, how relieved he was that she didn't have a boyfriend…

"I… I never got dessert. Do you want to go out and get some with me? Ya know, try and salvage our little dinner tradition for tonight?"

He smiled. "Of course!"

ooo

"I'm stuffed!" she proclaimed, putting a hand on her belly. "Lee, I really wish you hadn't paid for mine. Won't you let me pay you back?" She grabbed her change purse and started digging through the coins.

"Of course I paid, Tenten-chan! You are the youthful flower of team Gai! It's the chivalrous thing to do."

She rolled her eyes. It wasn't like she was going to complain _too much_ about free dessert. They were finally at the door to her apartment. "Thanks for walking me home, too. I guess that's chivalrous too, right?" she said with a grin.

"No problem at all," he said, watching as she searched her keychain for the correct key. She opened the door.

"Well… good night, Lee."

"Good night, Tenten," he replied, waiting for her to go inside.

"Maybe next time I'll buy dessert," she said, not wanting to go inside yet.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked, looking at her with his big round eyes. She smiled.

"Yeah."

They stood at the door silently. She was the first one to move. She took a shaky breath and reached out, brushing his knuckles with the back of her hand. The air felt heavy again, just like it had when she'd showed up at his place earlier that evening.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when she touched his hand. She pulled away, her face red. "I'd better go in," she said, feeling embarrassed.

Suddenly, she felt his hand cup her cheek and she froze. Slowly, he traced his hand across her jaw, stopping only to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She could feel her heart pounding—he looked so focused on her that she started feeling nervous. What was he thinking?

Anxiously, she lifted her hands to rest on each of his shoulders. He was staring into her eyes, looking at her lips… She grinned. There would be no reason for him to be looking at her like that unless…

"Tenten," he said quietly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Could I…?" Before he could finish, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his, placing chaste kisses on the corners of his mouth. He didn't really respond, like he was frozen. She wondered if this was his first kiss.

When after another moment he still hadn't reacted, she froze. Had she read him wrong? What if he didn't really want to kiss her? What if she had totally misinterpreted his intentions?

She pulled away, mortified at her actions. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled, feeling a lump form at the back of her throat. She had just jeopardized her relationship with her best friend, her old teammate. All the years that they had spent together, building trust and respect, had just been thrown away. She just knew it. "Please forget that ever happened," she blurted, looking anywhere but at him. "We can just… I can get over it, I'll be just fine—"

He took an abrupt step toward her, surprising her when he cupped her face with both hands. This time, _he_ was kissing _her_. She gasped and grabbed his arms, leading him into her apartment.

"Tenten," he said, a huge smile on his face. She nearly laughed out loud from relief. "We should kiss all the time!"

It was such a Lee thing to say, she thought as she kicked her door shut and pulled him in for another kiss. "Agreed!"

* * *

A/N:

Ugh do I hate this or love this? I don't know! I know this may not be a very good story but I just needed to get it out of my silly little brain. I have read it over so many times looking for mistakes and I might go crazy if I do it one more time.

I just wanted to write something short and sweet. So, what do you think? Was it cute? That's what I was going for.

I didn't really know how to end it so… there we have it. Please tell me what you thought! Reviiiieeeww!


End file.
